Meet our Friends at WagIt

I’m Nadia: I live and work in London and have been proud to call Lola, the King Charles Cavalier, my canine companion for 10 years. London is a fantastic place to live and work, but trying to find social venues that are all-embracing of dogs – or even just booking a shampoo for Lola without having to call someone directly – can be tricky.

I’m passionate about making things simple for people that have a dog in their lives. Inspiring them to discover the best dog-inclusive venues and services, and book them in a few taps on their phone.

The law for paws

There is no law or any health and safety regulations that ban dogs from being in premises where food and drink is served or sold; however they must not enter areas where food is prepared, handled or stored, for example the kitchen. It’s up to the owner of establishments that serve food and drink whether they’d like to welcome dogs to join in the fun or not.

Law: Food Hygiene Regulations 2013, under EU Regulation (EC) 852/2004, Annex II

I explained this to a restaurant once and they were surprised…I said if they are worried then they could set some rules like “no more than 3 dogs at the same time” or “no dogs after 6pm”.

Why keep out people who want to spend money in your restaurant?

And with groomers there was actually no way to book online, furthermore they never answered their phones or took ages to reply to emails! Booking a haircut for Lola was harder than getting into The Ivy… And had a longer waitlist!

Lola found the answer

I kept thinking there must be a better solution. There was definitely a gap in the market for dog owners. There was no comprehensive solution that gave us all the information they needed plus the ability to book online. Particularly during the lockdowns, I realised how important Lola was for me and that it would be tough to leave her home alone once restrictions were lifted. With over 2 million people in the UK getting a dog in 2020 I knew I wouldn’t be the only one having that thought. That’s when I decided to get started with WagIt, which was founded in June last year, and since then has gone from strength to strength.

ALways with you

The website allows people to search and book pre-approved dog friendly venues. We have M Restaurants, Gaucho, Pachamama’s, Humble Grape, Hilton Hotels, groomers – all already bookable on the platform. And Addison Lee chose WagIt as exclusive partner for their dog bookings.

We have now launched a section called Experiences where you can find fun things to do with your dog, like go on a Veluba Tour or buy tickets to a doggy Lido.

We launched during lockdown because we knew this was a service that dog parents would love and that puppy parents would absolutely need once restrictions were lifted.

WagIt helps owners find & book the best dog experiences in their city.

We make life for dog owners (and as a result, dogs!) enriched, simple, and stress-free. Because when our dogs are happy, we’re happy too.